Sydney Berkemeier
Columbus East had a big advantage in shots, shots on goal and dangerous chances Saturday night, but the Olympians could only manage a 1-1 tie with Floyd Central in a game between two teams that traditionally battle for the Hoosier Hills Conference title.
East put seven shots on goal in the first half to only one for the Highlanders, but Floyd Central scored on that one shot. Cassie Oliver chipped one over the head of Olympians goalkeeper Anna Liimatta in the 22nd minute, and the Highlanders led 1-0 at halftime.
In the second half, East found the equalizer. Sydney Berkemeier sent a cross toward Nadia Harris that a Floyd Central defender tried to play back to goalkeeper Kenzie Koch. But the ball slid by and into the net for an own-goal in the 49th minute.
“That was a fantastic ball played in by Sydney that was a very dangerous ball, and it’s not surprising that it ended up in the back of the net because those are the kinds of plays that create pressure on the defense,” East coach Ilya Schwartzman said.
The Olympians (3-3-3, 1-0-1) had three chances in front of the net in the 57th minute, but Koch turned away a couple, and another went wide.
East finished with a 21-19 shot advantage. The Olympians put 13 shots on goal to three for the Highlanders.
“We outplayed them; we outshot them,” Schwartzman said. “We just can’t get that ball to go in. Their goalie did a decent job. We just couldn’t break her. We just kept shooting balls that were ending up at her. It’s placement, it’s mental, it’s trying to finish. We created the opportunities. We just need to finish them.”
Liimatta posted three saves for East.
“I thought our defense played pretty well,” Schwartzman said. “We bent some. The one mistake we made was on their goal, and that was unfortunate because we kind of just lost a player that we were supposed to mark on their cross, and that was a nice shot that they finished. Beyond that, I thought the defense was pretty solid.”
